Dodgers Ace Kershaw Relegated to Bullpen as Postseason Continues

On October 18th, 2025, the Los Angeles Dodgers find themselves on the verge of a return trip to the World Series, where they'll hope to defend their championship from a year ago. However, one of the team's most iconic players, Clayton Kershaw, has not been a central figure in their postseason run so far.

Kershaw, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest left-handed pitchers in the history of the sport, has not stepped on the mound in any of the first three games of the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers. Furthermore, he is not scheduled to start Game 4 either. This is a surprising development, as Kershaw's name is synonymous with the Dodgers' success.

The reason for Kershaw's reduced role is that the Dodgers' other starting pitchers, such as Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, have been performing exceptionally well. Snell went eight innings in Game 1, and Yamamoto followed with a complete game in Game 2. As a result, Kershaw has been relegated to a bullpen role, an unusual spot for the lifelong starting pitcher.

Adding to the intrigue, Kershaw has already announced that he will be retiring at the end of this season. This means that unless something unexpected happens, the end of Kershaw's illustrious baseball career may go quite quietly, without the fanfare and spotlight one might expect for a player of his caliber.